Abstract

Daucus carota  known as carrot is putative candidate for the discovery of pharmacologically active plant derived components. This study determined the antimicrobial activity as well as the chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate extract of Daucus carota root against selected bacterial and fungal isolates; Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella aerogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Pseudomonas flourescens, Enterobacter cloacae complex and Proteus mirabilis. Agar well diffusion method was used for the determination of antimicrobial activity while gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was used to determine the chemical constituents of the ethyl acetate extract. Results showed a viscous reddish-brown liquid extract with a yield of 6.14 %. The extract exhibited growth inhibitory activity against six (6) of the test microorganisms with inhibition zone diameter range of 11 - 20 mm. Escherichia coli was most inhibited while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the least. A total of 34 different chemical constituents comprising six major peaks; 2,4,6-trihydroxybenzoic acid 14.33 %, ethanone 11.55 %, cyclohexadiene derivatives 9.98 %, 2-furancarboxaldehyde 7.47 %, benzene acetic acid 7.37 % and proprionates 7.16 %, were identified in the extract. This study established the presence of constituents with antibacterial and antifungal activities in the ethylacetae root extract of Daucus carota.

Keywords: Daucus carota, GC-MS constituents, antimicrobial activity, ethnomedicinal, extract